MANILA, Philippines — A 12-hour hostage stand-off on a hijacked Philippine bus ended in bloodshed today, with officials saying at least seven Chinese tourists were dead along with the disgruntled ex-policeman who seized their vehicle in a bid to get his job back.
At least six captives survived, four of whom were seen crawling out the back door of the bus after Philippine police stormed it this evening when the hostage-taker started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut.
He said the hostage-taker was killed with a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter.
Police and ambulances were lined up next to the vehicle in the pouring rain after the standoff ended. Local hospitals reported seven bodies of hostages were brought in. One other hostage was hospitalized in critical condition, and five others were unharmed.
Officials have yet to disclose the fate of the two other hostages.
The crisis began when the dismissed policeman, Rolando Mendoza, 55, armed with a M16 rifle seized the busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his reinstatement in the force.
According to newspaper reports from 2008, he was among five officers who had been charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.
The gunman released nine hostages during the afternoon — leaving 15 inside — and demanded his job back to free the rest. Despite hopes that negotiations might bring the stand-off to a peaceful conclusion, tensions escalated as night closed in.
Police said they stormed the bus after they saw Mendoza open fire on hostages.
Moments before the commandos moved in, the Filipino driver fled. Police officer Roderick Mariano cited him as saying Mendoza had opened fire at the tourists.
The Hong Kong tourists had been on a visit to Manila and had been due to fly back to the Chinese territory today, according to tour operator Hong Thai Travel Services Ltd.
Mendoza seized the bus after hitching a ride as it traveled with the tourists from the historic walled city of Intramuros. Police said he then “declared he is taking the passengers hostage” when the bus reached Jose Rizal Park alongside Manila Bay — a downtown area of the sprawling Philippine capital where the U.S. Embassy and a number of hotels are located.
Police sharpshooters took positions around the white-blue-red bus, and the road was sealed off, with ambulances and fire trucks positioned nearby. Police brought in food for the hostages as well as fuel so that the air conditioning unit could keep running as the outside temperature reached about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
The standoff was covered live on television. The curtains on the bus windows were drawn and two police negotiators could be seen walking to and from the bus and communicating with Mendoza from the window near the driver’s seat.
Bai Tian, deputy mission chief at the Chinese Embassy who was monitoring the negotiations, said the hostages were “calm and peaceful.” Speaking to reporters in the afternoon, he said they wanted every step taken “to secure the safety and security of our Chinese nationals.”
Mendoza’s younger brother, Gregorio, also a policeman, said that his brother felt that “injustice was done on him” when he had been fired from his job.
“He was disappointed that he did well in police service but was dismissed for a crime he did not do,” he said.
Apart from demanding his reinstatement, Mendoza had also wanted to talk to the Philippine media and asked that his son — also a policeman — be brought to him.
He scribbled some of his demands on paper and plastered it on the bus windows and a windshield.
A representative from the ombudsman’s office talked to Mendoza on the phone and had promised to look into his case again, Mendoza’s brother Florencio told reporters. Another brother of Mendoza also helped police in the negotiations, Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay said.
Law enforcement is weak in the Philippines, and hostage-takings for ransom are not uncommon.
In March 2007, not far from the scene of today’s hostage-taking, a man took a busload of children and teachers hostage from his day-care center in Manila to denounce corruption. They were freed after a 10-hour standoff.
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